Wippen connection for player-pianos.



J. FERN. WVIPPEN CONNECTION FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3-1918.

Patented. May 6, 1919.

yi zz/e/z for By WW iioraeys JOHN FERN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

WIPPEN CONNECTION FOR PLAYER-PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6, 1919.

Application filed July 3, 1918. Serial No. 243,093.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FERN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the lVippen Connection for Player-Pianos, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap and effective construction for player pianos whereby the abstracts or strikers of the pneumatics may be arranged to actuate the wippens of the piano action without the necessity of employing pivoted or other strikers intermediate the wippen and pneumatic, and it consists in attaching to each wippen a spring plate curved to encircle the free end of the wippen and against the lower free end of which the striking end of the pneumatic abstract bears.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the piano action illustrating my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the wippen spring plates.

I have illustrated only so much of the piano action and player piano construction as will be necessary to explain my improvements.

Of the ordinary upright piano action, 1 is the middle action rail to which is secured the wippen flange 2, on the depending end of which the wippens 3 are pivotally mounted. The wippen 3 carries the jack flange 4, to which is pivoted the jack 5, with a ack spring 6. The wippen also carries the upwardly extending back-check 7 and the bridle wire 8. The abstract of the piano action with which the piano keys are connected, is indicated at 9.

Of the player construction, one of the striking pneumatics is illustrated at 10, the movable wing of which carries the plate 11, to the outer end of which is secured the up wardly extending striker or player abstract provided with a felt washer 14. The under portion of each wippen also carries a felt washer 15, and interposed between these parts is a curved spring plate 16. These spring plates 16, preferably curved as illustrated, are secured by screw 17 through the hole 18, one for each wippen, and to keep the plates in position a claw 19 is formed on the upper end of the plate, which shall engage the wood of the wippen when screwed down so as to hold the plate in position.

It will be seen from the foregoing descrip tion that the spring plate 16 forms the striking connection between the abstract of thepneumatic and the wippen and that ample resiliency is obtained through the free contact end of the spring plate.

In order to mount the player action within the piano, all that has to be done to arrange for the proper action is to secure the spring plate to the wippen, and the spring plate takes the place of the pivoted strikers that have heretofore been thought necessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a player piano, the combination with the wippens and abstracts of the piano action, of player pneumatics, with strikers secured to the movable members thereof, and curved spring plates secured to the upper surface of the wippens, with the free ends of the spring plates forming contact members for the strikers when actuated by the pneumatics.

2. In a player piano, the combination with the wippens and abstracts of the piano action, of player pneumatics, with strikers projecting upwardly from the movable members thereof, and curved spring plates secured to the upper surface of the wippens and extending underneath the same, with the free ends of the spring plates forming contact members for the strikers when actuated by the pneumatics.

JOHN FERN.

copies of this potent may be obtained ion five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of intents, Washington, D. 0. 

